The aim of this research was to characterize the material flow of spent automobile lead-acid batteries in Japan. Questionnaire survey was performed to analyze the consumer behaviors about exchange and dead storage of batteries; interviews to local authorities were conducted to reveal the actual status of battery collection by the municipal governments; trade statistics were analyzed to estimate the amount of batteries exported as second hand products. Return rate of batteries was over 90% at gas stations and about 60% at DIY shop. The local governments collected about 1-10% of spent batteries. The second hand battery export increased from <0.1 million in FY 2003 to 4.8 million in FY2005.